The Government of Japan, the Government of Ukraine and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ukraine today launched a new project to support restoration of critical social care infrastructure and services for the most vulnerable groups in post-conflict areas in Eastern Ukraine.

Haiti’s Department of Civil Protection in partnership with the UN Development Programme (UNDP) has been working non-stop to assist flood-affected families in the northern city of Cap-Haitien and other neighbouring towns following heavy rains, floods and landslides that killed 17 people, five of them children. More than 15,000 houses were flooded, 90 were destroyed and 800 were severely damaged. Over 6,500 people are temporarily housed in emergency shelters.

The Ebola outbreak in West Africa is impairing the ability of governments to raise revenues, increasing their exposure to domestic and foreign debts and may make them more dependent on aid, according to the latest study on the socio-economic impact of the crisis carried out by the UN development agency.

International Data Group’s Chief Security Officer (CSO) magazine recently announced the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as a winner of the prestigious CSO50 Award for 2015, given to the top 50 information security organizations worldwide.

Urgent reforms on trade, finance and transport systems are needed to connect Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) with the global economy and improve the lives of their citizens, United Nations development head Helen Clark said today at a global gathering of Heads of States, multilateral organizations and businesses.

Decision-makers and business leaders, economists and academics from across the globe met for the 9th Annual African Economic Conference to discuss how to harness knowledge and innovation to boost youth employment, foster the adoption of new technologies, and enhance Africa’s economic transformation.

While an increasing number of Africans are enjoying higher living standards, countries in Sub-Saharan Africa should redouble efforts to ensure crises such as the current Ebola outbreak in West Africa do not reverse development achievements, according to a report released here today during the African Economic Conference.

Social enterprise Sanergy has announced its plan to join the Business Call to Action (BCtA). Sanergy brings its expertise in providing affordable and sustainable solutions for tackling the sanitation issue in Africa. The company commits to significantly scale up its operations and establish a network of over 2,000 Fresh Life Operators to manage hygienic toilets that offer safe, affordable sanitation services to an estimated 300,000 people in Kenya’s urban slums by 2020.

Mobile technologies and the Internet are opening new channels of interaction and can be used for gathering, disseminating and analyzing information, which can accelerate action to protect natural resources, combat climate change and help vulnerable people.

Cooperation between government and civil society is essential in fulfilling the rights of people living with HIV. Rights gaps include breach of confidentiality, stigma and discrimination, and criminalization of the behavior of key populations, concluded an international dialogue today in Tbilisi, Georgia, in which bottlenecks and obstacles to universal access to prevention, treatment and care were addressed.

In her address to the "Conference on the Syrian Refugee Situation – supporting stability in the region," hosted today in the German capital Berlin, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Associate Administrator, María Eugenia Casar, argued that the scale and protracted nature of the Syria crisis do not only necessitate more international solidarity, but also a shift in the way the international community collectively addresses its devastating impacts.

West African countries, supported by a well-coordinated international response, can achieve a breakthrough in the battle against Ebola if every effort is made to treat and contain the disease, involve communities and invest in the local economy, said representatives from the United Nations.